Today I completed a circular route, from East London to Barnes along the south bank of the Thames, and back along the north (with a little loop around Buckingham Palace for good luck). I've noticed my fitness levels have definitely improved and my average speed is moving on up. Bring on the Paris run!
However, there was a moment of confrontation just outside of Putney, on the combined foot and cycle path. Here pedestrians have priority, but cyclists are welcome too. I have experienced this stretch of the Thames Path as both, and I know that it's hard for so many to share one space. As a walker I would get frustrated with bicycles constantly going by, while as a cyclist it's not easy to travel the route without obstruction.
Despite this path being shared with cyclists, there will always be those walkers who are either unaware of this, or simply forget. Case in point: today there was a family up ahead, stretching across the entire width of the path, their backs to me. I tinged my bell twice - as is the etiquette - to let them know I was coming. They didn't hear, so as I grew closer I slowed, and tinged again. Another cyclist behind me even called out, "Excuse me!" yet the family was oblivious. I stopped altogether and was just wondering whether to get off and walk around them... when a toady old man talking on his mobile strolled passed in the opposite direction.
And I heard him say:
"Don't ring your bloody bell at them - they don't have to get out of the way for you."
Woah, back up, wait a minute!
The misinterpretation of the cyclist's bell is a common issue I've always wished would be clarified, and I decided I was going to try and do just that - right now. Having dismounted, I turned and pushed my bike after the toady man, catching up to him as he continued to speak on his phone.
"Excuse me!"
He turned and looked at me, but didn't stop walking. So I continued alongside him:
"Sir, I ring my bell to let people know I'm behind them; NOT to tell them to get out of the way."
Him: "There are kids around. You should bloody slow down."
Me: "Hang on, I had slowed down. I had actually stopped my bike, and..."
Him: "You sanctimonious cyclists."
Me: "Sanctimonious? You don't even know me! How dare you say that? This is a shared path and I am following all the cycling rules, so there's no need..."
Him: "Get lost, I'm talking to someone." He stormed off and continued his phone conversation.
Me: "YOU are the sanctimonious one, you jerk!!" I shouted.
OK, so that didn't go so well.
Obviously I was never going to convince the guy that cyclists don't all suffer from superiority complexes. But what was he expecting from me? Should I have not tinged my bell? Should I not be cycling at all? What was it that made me sanctimonious - the fact I was cycling in the vicinity of non-cyclists, or was it the fact I'd called him up on his remark? Did he make that assumption about me because I was in cycling gear? Did he think I was a "lycra lout"? If I'd been cycling in linen shorts and a peasant blouse would he have jumped to the same conclusion?
I am willing to accept a telling-off if I am flouting the rules or acting recklessly, but I am not going to be spoken to like that when I'm doing what I'm supposed to. As for being sanctimonious - on the contrary, I am well aware that as a cyclist I am at the bottom of the transportation food chain. At the same time, I'm sick of feeling like a bad person because I'm on two wheels! In the end, while the confrontation had made me angry, I decided to feel sorry for that man instead - after all, he's the one who has to go through life as an arrogant toad.
Anyway, as I say, the bell issue is a tricky one. As someone who enjoys walking as much as cycling, I know that the ting of a bell is annoying - but what other way can a cyclist let people know they're coming up behind? I'd rather a cyclist made their presence known than appear out of nowhere and make me leap out of my skin, or worse - for me to collide with them. In an ideal world we'd all have our own segregated roads and paths, but the reality is that we all must share the same space. And we have to be aware of one another.
At the same time I know why people take offence to the bicycle bell - I see cyclists careering up behind people and ringing continuously until a path has been cleared for them. That's so frustrating, because it creates a false impression of what the bell means. I'm not going to pretend that the tinging doesn't sometimes mean, "Can you please let me through?" But this is a question and should never be taken - or given - as a demand.
Pedestrians have priority on shared pathways, but there is a responsibility on both parties to be aware of one another and give each other the space to pass by. As for courtesy: that's definitely a two-way street.
Can't we all just get along?
Polite tips for Pedestrians:
- A cyclist's bell is just their way of letting you know they're behind you. Please don't take offence.
- Do be aware that cyclists share many walkways with you, and they're allowed to be there.
- Don't be afraid to reprimand any cyclist who flouts the rules: but be sure that this is the case before you do!
- Just because a cyclists is wearing lycra, doesn't mean they are a "lycra lout".
Polite tips for Cyclists:
- Pedestrians have priority on shared paths. Please don't use your bell as a bulldozer.
- Give people enough warning, and ting the bell well before you come up behind someone.
- Say a cheery thank you when people let you pass. It helps break down the stereotype of the cycle lout.
- Remember attitudes towards cyclists won't change unless we change them.
I think you should have something that sounds like the Mr Whippy jingle. Everyone loves Greensleeves and are conditioned to the sound. So they would turn around just in time to see you about to run them down. But they couldn't be angry at the sound of Greensleeves.
ReplyDelete